Sustained Impact of an Emotional Intelligence and Resilience Curriculum for Medical Students

The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of an educational curriculum focused on Emotional Intelligence (EI) and Resilience among second-year medical students, with emphasis on evaluating the retention of EI skills one year following the curricular intervention.

Second-year medical students voluntarily participated in an EI-Resilience elective with a curriculum consisting of six sessions aimed at teaching EI and resilience skills. Participants underwent assessment before, immediately after, and one year following the intervention, utilizing the Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory 2.0 (EQ-i 2.0). Survey responses were averaged and compared between varying time points.

Thirty students completed the EQ-i 2.0 assessments at three time points: prior to, immediately after, and one-year following the educational intervention. A comparison of mean EI scores pre- and immediate post-intervention showed a significant increase in most components of EI. No significant changes were detected between the immediate post-test and 1-year post-test on any EI components, except for a noteworthy increase in the mean Interpersonal Relationship score. Students demonstrated an average increase in their Interpersonal Relationship skills of 5.7 points (95% CI: 3.0, 8.4, p <0.001) at the one-year post-test compared to the post-test immediately following the intervention. Students reported continued satisfaction and usefulness one-year post-intervention as demonstrated by an internally developed survey. In the one-year post-intervention survey, most students used what they had learned in the elective during their third year (91%, 32/35) and all students found the elective to be applicable during their third year. In free-text responses, students reported improved coping and reflection skills in the third year of medical school following the intervention.

An EI-Resilience curriculum offered as an elective to second-year students continued to be well-received one year following the educational intervention. Data suggests that enhanced EI and resilience skills were sustained over a one-year period following the educational intervention.